Kit Kat is a chocolate-covered wafer biscuit bar confection created by Rowntree's of York, England, and is now produced globally by Nestlé, which acquired Rowntree in 1988,[1] with the exception of the United States where it is made under license by H.B. Reese Candy Company, a division of The Hershey Company. Each bar consists of fingers composed of three layers of wafer, covered in an outer layer of chocolate. Each finger can be snapped from the bar separately. Bars have two or four fingers, although the larger Kit Kat Chunky bars are a single solid block marked into three sections. There are many different flavours of Kit Kat.

Use of the name "Kit Kat" or "Kit Cat" for a type of food goes back to the 18th century, when mutton pies known as a Kit-Kat were served at meetings of the political Kit-Cat Club in London.

The origins of what is now known as the "Kit Kat" brand go back to 1911, when Rowntree's, a confectionery company based in York in the United Kingdom, trademarked the terms "Kit Cat" and "Kit Kat". Although the terms were not immediately used, the first conception of the Kit Kat appeared in the 1920s, when Rowntree launched a brand of boxed chocolates entitled "Kit Cat". This continued into the 1930s, when Rowntree's shifted focus and production onto its "Black Magic" and "Dairy Box" brands. With the promotion of alternative products the "Kit Cat" brand decreased and was eventually discontinued.[2] The original four-finger bar was developed after a worker at Rowntree's York Factory put a suggestion in a recommendation box for a snack that "a man could take to work in his pack".[3] The bar launched on 29 August 1935, under the title of "Rowntree's Chocolate Crisp" (priced at 2d), and was sold in London and throughout Southern England.[4]

The product's official title of "Rowntree's Chocolate Crisp" was renamed "Kit Kat Chocolate Crisp" in 1937, the same year that 'Kit Kat' began to incorporate "Break" into its recognisable advertising strategy.[2] The colour scheme and first flavour variation to the brand came in 1942, owing to World War II, when food shortages prompted an alteration in the recipe. The flavour of "Kit Kat" was changed to "dark"; the packaging abandoned its "Chocolate Crisp" title, and was adorned in blue.[5] After the war the title was altered to "Kit Kat" and resumed its original milk recipe and red packaging.

4-finger US Kit Kat

Following on from its success in the United Kingdom, in the 1940s "Kit Kat" was exported to Canada, South Africa, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. In 1958, Donald Gilles, the executive at JWT Orland, created the iconic advertising line "Have a Break, Have a Kit Kat". The brand further expanded in the 1970s when Rowntree created a new distribution factory in Germany to meet European demand, and established agreements to distribute the brand in the USA and Japan through the Hershey and Fujiya companies, respectively.[2] In June 1988 Nestlé acquired Kit Kat through the purchase of Rowntree's. This gave Nestlé global control over the brand, except in the US,[6] and production and distribution increased with new facilities in Japan and additional manufacturing operations set up in Malaysia, India and China.[2]

The Hershey Company has a licence to produce Kit Kat bars in the United States which dates from 1970, when Hershey executed a licensing agreement with Rowntree. Nestlé, which has a substantial presence in the US, had to honour the licensing agreement when it bought Rowntree in 1988 which allowed Hershey to retain the Kit Kat licence so long as Hershey was not sold. As Kit-Kat is one of Hershey's top five brands in the U.S. market, the Kit Kat licence was a key factor in Hershey's failed attempt to attract a serious buyer in 2002.[7][8]

Variants in the traditional chocolate bar first appeared in 1996 when "Kit Kat Orange", the first flavour variant, was introduced in the United Kingdom. Its success was followed by several varieties including mint and caramel, and in 1999 "Kit Kat Chunky" was launched and received favourably by international consumers. Variations on the traditional "Kit Kat" have continued to develop throughout the 2000s. In 2000 Nestlé acquired Fujiya's share of the brand in Japan, and also expanded its marketplace in Japan, Russia, Turkey, and Venezuela, in addition to markets in Eastern and Central Europe.[2] Throughout the decade 'Kit Kat' has introduced dozens of flavours and line extensions within specific consumer markets, and celebrated its 75th anniversary on 10 October 2009.

The traditional bar has four fingers which each measure approximately 1 centimetre (0.4 in) by 9 centimetres (3.5 in). A two-finger bar was launched in the 1930s, and has remained the company's best-selling biscuit brand ever since.[4] The 1999 "Kit Kat Chunky" (known as "Big Kat" and "Kit Kat Extra Crispy" in the US) has one large finger approximately 2.5 centimetres (1 in) wide. Kit Kat bars contain varying numbers of fingers depending on the market, ranging from the half-finger sized Kit Kat Petit in Japan, to the three-fingered variants in Arabia, to the twelve-finger family-size bars in Australia and France. Kit Kat bars are sold individually and in bags, boxes and multi-packs. In Ireland, France, the UK and America Nestlé also produces a Kit Kat ice cream, and in Australia and Malaysia, "Kit Kat Drumsticks".

In 2010, a new £5 million manufacturing line was opened by Nestlé in York. This will produce more than a billion Kit Kat bars each year.[9]

Kit Kat bars are produced in 16 countries by Nestlé: Brazil, Mexico, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Germany, Russia, Japan, China, Malaysia, Thailand, India, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Bulgaria. Kit Kat bars in the United States are produced under licence by The Hershey Company, a Nestlé competitor, due to a prior licensing agreement with Rowntree. The year 2003 was a turning point for the Kit Kat bar as well as the confectionery industry in general. The popularity of low carb diets and the push to healthier eating stifled sales growth in many parts of the world. In addition, fierce competition from Cadbury's newly formed Dairy Milk superbrand also contributed to sales of the Kit Kat decreasing considerably in its home market of the UK, and threatened to depose it from its #1 position.[10][11] The solution adopted by Nestlé and others was to increase dramatically the number of new and unique variations of their confections and market them as limited or special editions, whereby they would usually only be available for a few months at a time so as not to impact the sales of their permanent edition counterparts.[12] The strategy initially reversed the decline of the Kit Kat[13] and has been adopted worldwide by Nestlé, Hershey, Mars and others with similar success.[14][15]

This has resulted in many new flavours and varieties of the Kit Kat and other confections appearing globally since then. While some flavours have been hits, many have flopped, alienating some consumers in the process, causing Nestlé to scale back on new releases.[citation needed]

In September 2006 Nestlé announced they were eliminating 25% of their workforce in York and moving production of Smarties to Germany. One of the reasons given for the cuts and moves was so the York factory could be modernised for Kit Kat production to continue.[citation needed]

As dark chocolate has seen increased demand and favour worldwide because of its purported health benefits, September 2006 saw the launch of the four-finger Kit Kat Fine Dark in the UK as a permanent edition, as well as new packaging for the entire brand.[citation needed] Hershey had sold the four-finger Kit Kat Dark in the US several years previously as a limited edition, and has begun doing so again.[16]

Nestlé now manufactures two finger Kit Kats with natural flavourings, and for the first time, Kit Kats in this format are suitable for vegetarians.[citation needed] It is not known at this date whether or not other varieties will follow suit. In 2014, Kit Kat was ranked the third best selling chocolate bar in the UK, after Dairy Milk and Galaxy.[17]

When first introduced, the original Rowntree's Chocolate Crisp bar had a red wrapper, which briefly became blue between 1945–1947. As a result of milk shortages after the end of World War II, the milk chocolate coating was suspended and a dark chocolate was used instead during that period.

Since its introduction in the 1970s, the Hershey's Kit Kat packaging and advertising in the United States differed from the branding used in every other country where it was sold. In 2002, Hershey Kit Kats adopted the slanted ellipse logo used worldwide by Nestlé, though the ellipse was red and the text white. The US version of "Kit Kat Chunky" is known as "Big Kat".

In the United Kingdom, the product has traditionally been wrapped in silver foil and an outer paper band. In 2001, flow wrap plastic was substituted as the confectionery's packaging.[18]

After launching in the 1930s, Rowntree's Chocolate Crisp was originally advertised as "the biggest little meal" and "the best companion to a cup of tea". During World War II, Kit Kat was depicted as a valuable wartime foodstuff, with the slogan "what active people need". 'Kitty the Kat' arrived in the late 1940s to emphasise the "rich full cream milk" qualities of the bar and, thanks to contemporary improvements in production methods, also highlighted the new and improved 'snap' by responding to a biscuit being broken off screen. The first Kit Kat poster appeared in 1951, and the first colour TV advertisement appeared in 1969.

Since 1958, the slogan for the Kit Kat in the UK and elsewhere has been "Have a break... have a Kit Kat". However, in 1995, Nestlé sought to trademark the "Have a break" portion. After a ten-year legal battle, which was contested by rival Mars, the European Court of Justice ruled on 7 July 2005 to send the case back to the British courts.[19] In 2004, Nestlé UK used the slogan "Make the most of your break",[20] but later returned to the original slogan.

The United States also used the short-lived slogan, "Tastes So Good, You'll Roar", in the early 1980s. The TV commercial most known from this slogan involves a young man biting into one of the Kit Kat bars in a grocery store, and roaring like a lion so loudly the whole store shakes violently, knocking items from the shelves. Another short-lived U.S. slogan was "That's What You Want", whose television adverts showed people pulling unlikely foodstuffs from their pockets or purses, before rejecting them in favour of a Kit Kat.

The "classic" American version of the "Gimme a Break" Kit Kat jingle (in use in the U.S. since 1986) was written by Ken Shuldman (lyrics) and Michael A. Levine (music) for the DDB Advertising Agency. Versions of the original have been covered by Carrie Underwood, Shawn Colvin, and many studio singers, as well as people who have appeared on-camera in the commercials. The jingle was cited in a study by University of Cincinnati researcher James A. Kellaris as one of the top ten "earworms" - bits of melody that become stuck in your head. Another version of the advertising jingle 'Gimme a break' created for Kit Kat "Factory" commercial in the U.S. was an original recording by Andrew W.K. W.K. was hired to write a new musical version for their "Gimme a break" slogan. Variations on the Andrew W.K. advertisement included executive dance routines in corporate offices and a network newsroom. However, the "classic" song has also been used again since the newer version first aired in 2004.

A 1989 United Kingdom advertisement for Kit Kat, in which a zoo photographer "takes a break" from waiting for pandas to appear in an enclosure and misses them performing a dance routine, came in 30th in Channel 4's "100 Greatest Adverts" poll in 2000.

The Maltese tour boat MV Lady Davinia had a distinctive red and white Kit Kat paint scheme before she sunk in 2008.

In late 2004 through to the end of 2006, Nestlé Rowntree sponsored the English football club York City F.C.. As a result, the club's home-ground, Bootham Crescent, was renamed to KitKat Crescent.[21]

In an 2012 advertising campaign in the UK and Ireland, several new flavours of Chunky Kit Kat were marketed, with consumers being asked to vote for their favourite. Selecting from white chocolate, double chocolate, peanut butter, and orange, Peanut butter was the winner by having 47% of votes. A similar campaign has been occurring in 2013 with mint, coconut, hazelnut and chocolate fudge.

In September 2013 it was announced that version 4.4 of Google's Android mobile operating system would be named "KitKat".[22] Google is licensing the name from Nestlé, with no money changing hands.[23] A promotion ran in numerous countries with specially branded Android Kit Kat bars to win Nexus 7 devices and Google Play Store credit.[24]

In December 2009, it was announced that the four finger variety of Kit Kat would use Fairtrade chocolate (at least in Britain and Ireland) from January 2010.[25] It has also been announced that the Fairtrade Kit Kat promotion will be extended to the finger edition as of January 2010.[26]

During the first three weeks of Big Brother Series 7, Channel 4 conducted a promotion in conjunction with Nestlé to distribute 100 "golden tickets" randomly throughout Kit Kats, in a style reminiscent of the story Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Members of the public finding these tickets were permitted to use them to give themselves a chance to become a Big Brother housemate and bypass the standard auditions process.

Golden ticket holders were invited to a television show where one of them, Susie Verrico, was chosen to enter the House by Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace, picking a ball out of a machine at random.

This contest caused some controversy, with the Advertising Standards Authority saying that the terms and conditions of the draw should have been made clearer in related advertisements, and that an independent adjudicator should have been present before and during the draw.[27]

Many varieties of Kit Kat have existed, either permanently or as limited editions, such as those sold to commemorate festivals such as St. Valentine's Day.[citation needed] In Japan, Nestlé has introduced over 200 different flavours since 2000,[28] including ginger ale, soy sauce, creme brulee, green tea, and banana.[29] The flavours are designed to appeal to younger buyers,[30] and are often bought as good-luck gifts as the brand name echoes the Japanese phrase "Kitto Katsu", roughly translating as "surely win."[28]

The Kit Kat Orange was the first flavour variant to be introduced in the United Kingdom, in 1996 and 1998 in Ireland. It was followed in 1997 by the Kit Kat Dark and Kit Kat Mint.[citation needed] All three were available as permanent editions of the two-finger multipack in the United Kingdom, along with the Kit Kat Original, the Kit Kat White, and from 2012 the Kit Kat Cookies & Cream.

A wide variety of promotional items exist, ranging from traditional merchandise (such as mugs, pens, oven gloves and tea-towels) to less common items such as coats for small dogs. Recently in Japan,[when?] Kit Kats have come packaged with CD singles, and a special limited edition double pack of Kit Kat Crispy Monogatari came bundled with a mini book featuring six short stories, one of which was written by Koji Suzuki, author of the Ring cycle series. In Japan, Kit Kats are also available in jars that are dispensed from vending machines.

The 'standard' Kit Kat finger bars can come in a variety of presentations and nutritional values. The bars can come in a miniature form of two finger mini bars, or a larger standard four, or in some cases, three, fingered bars.

The standard size has been upgraded in several cases up to a 'monster Size' bar, which can include up to five or eight fingers. Large single-fingered "Chunky Kit Kats" were launched in the United Kingdom in 1998 and have been sold in a variety of flavours.

Other forms and shapes include "Choc'n'Go" individually wrapped fingers from France, a twelve-finger "Family Block which is available in New Zealand, " in Australia, round bite-sized "Pop Choc" pieces, square "Kubes", praline-filled "Senses", a yoghurt with Kit Kat pieces, and a Kit Kat ice cream cone.

In the 1980s, a Kit Kat with five shorter fingers was sold in vending machines in the UK.[31]

The Japanese Bake 'N Tasty Mini Kit Kats Custard Pudding Flavour was launched in 2014. The bar must be baked in an oven before consumption, and the surface sugar caramelises in the process.[32]

In 2015, a new luxury and giftable variant of Kit Kat called Kit Kat Rubies was launched in Malaysia. Comes with the box of 20 small bars, the Kit Kat Rubies bar made with the premium chocolate truffle cream and imported roasted hazelnut pieces.[33]

In March 2010, Kit Kat was targeted for a boycott by Greenpeace for using palm oil, which the environmental organisation claimed resulted in destruction of forest habitats for orangutans in Indonesia.[34] A YouTube video by Greenpeace went viral[35] and Nestlé announced a partnership with The Forest Trust to establish "responsible sourcing guidelines" and ensure that its products did not have a deforestation footprint. They aimed to achieve a fully sustainable method of palm oil harvesting by 2015.[36]

Kit Kat Milk Chocolate is made for the North American market with the controversial ingredient PGPR (Polyglycerol polyricinoleate, E476, aka Palsgaard 4150),[37] which is used as a replacement for cocoa butter.[38] The FDA has determined it to be "safe for humans as long as you restrict your intake to 7.5 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. Otherwise you'd be open to reversible liver enlargement at higher intakes".[39]

Nestlé has factories in various locations in China, to supply to China and Hong Kong. During the 2008 Chinese milk scandal, where melamine was found to have tainted some milk suppliers in China, importers in Hong Kong chose to import bars manufactured in the United Kingdom.

1 Currently manufactured by General Mills in the United States. Produced by Cereal Partners under the Nestlé brand elsewhere. 2 Brand owned by General Mills; US and Canadian production rights controlled by Nestlé under license.3 US production rights owned by The Hershey Company. 4 Canadian production rights owned by The Hershey Company. 5 US rights and production owned by Smarties Candy Company, with a different product.6 US rights and specific trade dress owned by Nestlé; rights elsewhere owned by Associated British Foods. 7 Produced by Cereal Partners, branded as Nestlé. 8 Produced by Cereal Partners, and Branded Nestlé in The United Kingdom, and Ireland. Produced by Post Foods, elsewhere.

1 Marketed in both the United States and Canada, but sold as a Hershey’s product only within Canada. U.S. rights owned by Nestlé.2 Marketed in a number of countries, but sold as a Hershey’s product only within the United States. Brand owned by Nestlé.3 Marketed in a number of countries, but sold as a Hershey’s product only within the United States. Brand owned by Mondelēz International.